Literature Research Society

A modern Chinese literary group. Founded in Beijing on January 4, 1921. The founders were 12 people: Zhou Zuoren, Zhu Xizu, Jiang Baili, Zheng Zhenduo, Geng Jizhi, Qu Shiying, Guo Shaoyu, Sun Fuyuan, Shen Yanbing (Mao Dun), Ye Shaojun, Xu Dishan, and Wang Tongzhao. The group was formed by students and professors from Beijing, including Zheng, Geng, Qu, and Xu, who had gathered at the magazines New Society, Criticism, and Humanity, Wang from Dawn, and Zhou, Sun, Ye, and Guo from New Current, as well as Shen (Mao Dun), who had just become the chief editor of Novel Monthly. Using "Novel Monthly" as their main platform, they advocated literature of the people and realism, made an effort to introduce European literary works, especially Russian literature, and developed criticism of older literary movements such as the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School, while also opposing the creative school that advocated romanticism. They played a major role in the early days of modern Chinese literature, carrying out activities centered on literature for life. In May 1921, they launched their official newspaper "Literature" monthly (later renamed "Literature Weekly" and "Literature Weekly"), and set up chapters in Beijing, Nanjing, and other places, centered around Shanghai, with membership growing to over 170 people, but their union was originally more of a loose trade guild than one based on a common literary ideology, and by the mid-1920s the substance of the association had been lost, with "Novel Monthly" merely remaining at the center of the literary world as a commercial magazine.

[Noriko Shiramizu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国近代の文学団体。1921年1月4日、北京(ペキン)で結成される。発起人は周作人、朱希祖、蒋(しょう)百里、鄭振鐸(ていしんたく)、耿済之(こうさいし)、瞿世英(くせいえい)、郭紹虞(かくしょうぐ)、孫伏園、沈雁冰(しんがんひょう)（茅盾(ぼうじゅん)）、葉紹鈞(ようしょうきん)、許地山、王統照の12名。同会は、雑誌『新社会』『批評』『人道』に集まっていた鄭、耿、瞿、許や、『曙光』の王、『新潮』の周、孫、葉、郭ら北京の学生・教授陣に、『小説月報』の主編に就任したばかりの沈（茅盾）を加えて結成された。彼らは『小説月報』をおもな舞台として、人の文学、写実主義文学を提唱し、ロシア文学をはじめヨーロッパの文学作品の紹介に努め、鴛鴦蝴蝶派(えんおうこちょうは)など旧文学に対する批判を展開する一方、ロマン主義を唱える創造派と対立するなど、人生のための文学を軸とした活動を展開、中国近代文学の初期に大きな役割を果たした。21年5月、機関紙『文学』旬刊（のち『文学週刊』『文学週報』と改名）を創刊、上海(シャンハイ)を中心に北京、南京(ナンキン)などに分会を設け、会員は170名余りに増加したが、元来その結合は文芸思想の一致によるよりも同業組合的な緩やかなものであり、20年代なかばには結社の実質は失い、『小説月報』が商業誌として文壇の中心に位置したにとどまった。

［白水紀子］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例